Steam-condenser apparatus



A. E. L. SCANES.

STEAM CONDENSER APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. I. 1915.

1,353,855. PatentedSept. 28,1920.

INVENTOR.

' HIS ATTORNEY IN FACT,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR EDWIN LEIGH SCANES, OF ASHTON-ON-MERSEY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THEBRITISH WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LIMITED,

01? LONDON, ENGLAND.

STEAM-CONDENSER APPARATUS.

Application filed November 1, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I ARTHUR EDWIN LEIGH ScANEs, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at Ashton-on-Mersey, England, have made a newand useful Invention in bteam-Cqndenser Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to steam condensers of either the surface or jettype.

To operate a steam condenser at a high vacuum it is necessary to employsome form of air extractor which may be either of the reciprocating orrotary type or be a steam or water ejector, or any combination of these.

For certain types of air extracting apparatus (such for example as thoseutilizing a Water jet on which the vapor condenses and is lost, or thoseusing steam jets or piston pumps in which case vapor lowers theircapacity), it is advantageous to reduce to a minimum the amount of vaporcontained in the air leaving the condenser. Various means have beensuggested for accomplishing this such as a series of bafiie plates inthe steam space of the condenser, the object being to cause the air andincondensab e gases and vapor to pass over a cooling surface of thelowest possible temperature. VVeirs have also been placed in the bottomof surface condensers with the object of cooling the condensate which isafterward used in the air extractor, thus reducing the vapor tension andsteam content of the mixture to be removed. In all these arrangementsample passages have been left to avoid impeding the flow of the gasesand consequent loss 0 vacuum between the condenser steam inlet and theair outlet. lVith all these arrangements, however, it is always possibleto entrain a large amount of uncondensed steam with. the air removed,and also if the vacuum in the air pump is a high one, there is a risk ofrevaporation of the condensate in the condenser. Moreover, the majorityof these arrangements have the disadvantage of cooling the condensateunduly with consequent loss of thermal elliciency in the feed water tothe boilers.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantagesand to increase the weight of air removed by the air extractingapparatus while maintaining a high hotwell temperature withoutreevaporation.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

Serial No. 59,015.

According to this invention a cooling chamber is provided located eitherwithin or external to the main steam condensing space of the condenserthrough which chamber in the case of a surface condenser a portion ofthe cooling tubes, or in the case of a. jet condenser a portion of theinjection water passes. The said chamber communi cates through arestricted opening with the steam space of the condenser at the point atwhich it is required to remove the air and incondensable gases. Thisrestricted opening is conveniently formed as a con verging nozzle andits object is to produce a pressure drop of an approximately con stantamount between the steam space of the condenser and the interior of thecooling chamber. At another suitable place in the cooling chamber aconnection of ample proportions is made to a suitable air extractingdevice. As it will be known in any given case what amount of air may benormallv expected in the condenser, and as it will be also knownapproximately what the vacuum will be in the condenser it will bepossible to calculate approximately the area of the restricted openingwhich will pass the volume of saturated air thus arrived at with apredetermined drop of pressure. Should now the vacuum in the airextractor be higher than the theoretical vacuum corresponding to thecondensate in the condenser. any tendency t0 reevaporation of the latterwill be very largely prevented owing to the limitation of the quantityof mixture which can pass through the restricted opening within thelimits of pressure difference allowed under working conditions, andfurther, any vapor which does pass this opening will be re-condensedinside the cooling chamber be fore it can pass to the air extractor, andwill be returned from the said chamber to the condenser through asuitable water sealed pipe or passage.

Various ways in which the invention may be carrried into effect areshown diagrammatically in the several figures of the accompanyingdrawing in which like reference letters indicate similar parts.

Figure 1 shows one form of the invention used in connection with asurface condenser of a well known type, the steam inlet of which isshown at G, the nest of tubes at H, and the condensate discharge at J Ain Fig. 1 shows a common type of the 1min condensate diarlmrge (l of therondeneer. illhe. non-coiuleneuble gases are ;l n J withdrmrn b theunremricted puwuge by any suitable form of uiz' pump or :nr e21 tractor.

Fig. 2 whom strurlu ul unidilmutiou of V in which the ydruuized eteelplutc "A dune-l y n. d nerd pipe it. the other details dominion themine. 'i" is construetion he ceituiu ndvuntiu e.- over the consii uctionshown in i igg. i, us n the iutler it in obviounly it lo inuhe a goodjoint both with the :hell o1" die eondeneer at two pieces and with thetube plate, whereas in the construction shown in Fig. :5 although it isstill necessary to nuke good joints, these joint can be more easilynuuhined and titted, it is Preferable that the cool chamber should runthe full length of the condenser, but this is not ncceseury.

In Fig. 2 the cooling ehumbw is ehowu external to the condenser.

Fig. l shows a cooling chaunbm; junction with it jet rondeim'jr d1.being substantially the s: vioue figures. with the cooling chamber it,kxii-led by in it similar manner us the o From the foregoing it will hereudil understood that this invention consists in the prm sion of itcooling clnnnber either internal or external tothe condenser comn'unieating with the steam space o'i'the condenser through it restrictedopening of e predetermined urea, so as to cuuse an appreciabledifference between the pressure in the condenser and that in the coolingclnunher and having an air outlet of ample proportions wherein llacx'rpor conteutol the goers October, A 1)., 1915.

between the cooling chamber and the air extracting device. V

r evcrnl arrangements, such for instance us them hereinbefore mentioned,have been no Joscd for coolin the :dr end water in u i h minimising aipzuutus, bul in all of these the object has been to cool thecoinlensute and to avoid as for poseible it drop in pressure, whereas,the object of this invention is to niuintuin the condensate us hot aspossible and =0 create it drop in pressure by means of a restrictedopening hereinabove de scribed.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature o l' mysaid invention und inwhat manner the same is to be performed, 1(li'tililiu that what I clann is:

l. in continuation with the main cooling rlmmber of u condenser havingit stezuu inlet and coudeuoate outlet, m1 :L'llllbitlilitl. coolingchamber in restricted connnuoicetiou with the iuiin clruniier and buyingit relatively uurettricted outlet lor coonvction with an zli extructindevice whereby during; the operulimx o' :iir extracting) devise :1, lessnessu'iwill be maintained in the additionul than in the Jil'rllllchamber cooling; means in said additional chamber and sealed ineuns Fordelivering condensate from the additional chamber to the condensateoutlet oi the main chamber.

2. in combination with the main cooling chamber of a surface condennerh-(Lv' in a sit-uni inlet and 2t condonmteoutlet, u relatively sinuilltooling chit; her of the surface t 11c; additional to the main clnnnber,in rei 'cted eon'tniunication therewith and havinpj iutivelyunrestricted outlet for conneetiou with on air extracting device Wherebyn has; pressure may be Inuintuined in the mlditioziel than in the 13minchamber and sealed means for delivering condensate from the mlditionulell-umberto the condensute outlet of the main chamber.

In testimony whereof I hrive hereunto subscribed my name this eighteenthday of ARTHUR EDWIN LEIGH SCANES. Witnesses: 5 l

IIonzsnm H. SHEARD,

J 45. STEWART BROADFOOT.

